How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
We each have 1 child – both sons! It has been really fun for us to become “boy moms” together. Christin has Hudson, who is 7 months old + Jill has Carter, who is 1 1/2.
How long have you lived in Hudson County? What made you decide to live here?
We are both born + raised Jersey girls!
Christin has been in Hoboken for 3 years. She was tired of city life and Hoboken was a great step in between NYC + suburban life. It’s been a wonderful place to start a family.
Jill was in Hoboken for almost a decade. She grew up in North Jersey and living in Hoboken was always part of her life plan – graduate college, move to Hoboken with girlfriends. She made the jump to burb life in September when work from home + toddler life just became too challenging in their 2 bedroom apartment. Leaving was not easy!
What’s your favorite family activity in Hudson County?
We both love the Hoboken waterfront – it is a view we will never get sick of. Before Jill moved, many weekend mornings were spent with our families meeting up for a walk, stopping for coffee and bagels and ending for at the waterfront for a picnic.
Christin also really enjoys picnicing at Liberty State Park – she got married there!
Where’
s your favorite place to eat and/or shop in your town?
Oy – it is hard to pick just ONE but we are on same page that Augustinos is our favorite OG Hoboken spot. Hudson Table would be a close second. Jill is also a big fan of ALL local coffee spots – City of Saints + Hudson Coffee are her two favorites.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
We’re both Excel nerds – we met in 2010 as retail executives at Lord + Taylor + were instant co-workers turned real life friends.
On a more fun note – Jill did not own a microwave until college – to this day, her instinct is still to heat leftovers on the stove.
What are you doing to stay sane during Covid for yourself?
We really struggled having something of our “own” and doing things for ourselves at start of COVID; new moms + pandemic = perfect excuse to totally neglect yourself.
Starting My Friend’s Friend helped us stay sane. It was a HUGE step out of our comfort zone but it felt good to talk about something other than our children or the global pandemic.
One silver lining of the pandemic has been seeing people really go after their passions! Once people had the time + energy to do something different, they did – and we’re here for that kind of creativity! Seeing people connect differently has really motivated us – it’s been an isolating time for alot of people but discussing MFF or having people share their favorite things or message us about what they love (or don’t love) has been a huge source of comfort!
We would really encourage anyone who has been toying an idea or wanting to try something new to JUST DO IT!
Christin also got Jill hooked on virtual sound baths – it’s a type of mediation that uses sound to promote relaxation + reduce anxiety [YES, PLEASE].
Any tips or recommendations for parents to entertain/educate their children during this time?
Try to stick to some sort of schedule to keep yourself sane. We are not rigid but having a routine feels normal for us (and for our kids too)! We would jot down rough idea of day and it really helps us feel more productive (ie: 8 AM breakfast, 8:30 clean up/screen time, 9:00 head out for a walk, 10:00 snack + read some books, etc).
Do not take for granted everyday objects or chores in your own house. Have kids help load the laundry – it definitely doesn’t make simple tasks more simple, but makes for great learning moments. Also – some tupperware, foodcoloring, spoons + soap suds go a long way. Throw them in a bathingsuit and let them play in bathtub. Don’t be afraid of a mess – if anything, a big clean up helps pass the time HA!
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
EACH OTHER – lol! Having a friend just blocks away to get you through the first months of parenthood is game changer.
Aside from our husbands + families, our FRIENDS! We have the most amazing circle of friends who have been through it all, seen it all + are willing to share it all. They’re such a big part of why we started our Instagram page, @my_friends_friend. We know no one has the friends we do and our goal is to share that with the world!
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
Yes! We recently started an IG page called @my_friends_friend.
My Friend’s Friend was started out of frustration with the influencer world and their disingenuous product support. It’s become impossible to tell what’s real and what isn’t! Our goal is to create a place where you can trust information because it’s coming from your friends…and their friends. We do this by crowdsourcing recommendations based on questions our followers ask. Our moto – girlfriends>google…real people, influencing real people.
Another motivation was our incredible circle of friends and family! You know those people who are always like “oh wait, I know someone who can help” or “oh yea, I got a guy!”. We are those people. We truly believe we are surrounded by and connected with the most amazing bunch. We want to not just share that network with followers but invite them in! A huge piece of MFF is promoting friends’ business while also adding value to followers by sharing their expert knowledge.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
The Hudson County mom community is fierceeeee! These moms truly want to support local business, other parents doing cool things + share advice. We cannot tell you the number of times when our sons were just born that we would be walking in the park + be approached by other moms introducing themselves. Even if it doesn’t evolve into a friendship, it FEELS good to be friendly especially during isolating times (like covid + newborn phase).
It also was a huge inspiration for us to start MFF. We have an amazing community of family + friends in our own bubbles – we knew it was time to share our own network.
has been a great resource not only for info, inspiration and mom humor, but in helping us build our platform to reach other moms + build our own growing community.